Lower School

Grades Pre-Kindergarten Through Four

A visit from an astronaut, a trip to see the medieval unicorn tapestries at the Cloisters, recreating an undersea world of ocean creatures … exciting activities based on each year’s theme enrich and integrate the curriculum at the Lower School at Indian Mountain.

A lively, colorful place that celebrates the joyful curiosity of childhood, the Lower School offers a strong, creative curriculum with spirited instruction that matches a variety of learning styles. An experienced faculty sets high standards in the classroom while nurturing a genuine enthusiasm for learning. Our carefully sequenced curriculum is designed to develop children’s knowledge and skills in all areas—physical, social, emotional, and intellectual—to build self-confidence and establish a foundation for lifelong learning.

Explore Our Curriculum

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At the Lower School, we offer an after school soccer and lacrosse program for kindergarteners through fourth graders. This soccer program runs during the fall and lacrosse is during the spring term for approximately six weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on the age group, from 3 to 4 p.m.

Close communication between home and school is a hallmark at the Lower School. We welcome families who are eager for their children to engage in a program designed to challenge their potential, enrich their experiences, encourage effort, and stimulate thinking.

In addition to their years of experience in the classroom, faculty members are selected for their interest and sincere affection for children, their understanding and acceptance of children’s capacities, a sense of humor, and a positive approach to learning. Through professional development opportunities, our teachers continue their education, keeping abreast of child development issues and educational trends.

We care deeply that our students acquire the fundamentals of integrity and character, and we strive to instill in them the enduring values of honesty, kindness, respect for others, and perseverance. We encourage our students to care for each other and the diverse community of which they are part.

Students at the Lower School learn to better understand the school’s motto, life through service, as they engage in community service endeavors. We encourage children to think of others, to consider how their actions affect others, and to help make a difference in their community. Projects have included school-wide recycling of paper, plastic, and glass, collecting donations for local food drives and an animal shelter, adopting a family for holiday giving, and becoming pen pals with residents of Noble Horizons, a nearby elder care facility.

Students and faculty begin each day with Morning Circle, a longstanding tradition at the Lower School. This is a special time for the school to come together as a community. Members of each class have an opportunity to present and share information, discover new insights, and celebrate milestones.